Guest post by Mel Schoenwether
You are worth getting to know. You are worth investing in completely.
I bet that intro wasn't what the awesome folks at Quince and Co. thought I would lead with when they kindly extended me the invitation to share about my collection here on their blog. But those truths are the center and the heart of the 6 Bits: Wander Collection.
Allow me to explain...
Knitting is perfect. It is at once utilitarian and decadent. It can be mindless and therapeutic. It can be brain melting and therapy rendering. Knitting connects us with our past, whether we are aware of our rich heritage or not. It moves us forward with every mistake innovation we discover.
Knitting can return us to where our heart wants to be and teach us how to discover the moment we are in right now.
That is what knitting did for me as I created this collection.
Kokee is a special place to me. Moments of incredible views, perfectly timed breezes and soul filling colours are only some of the gifts Kokee shares.
She also gives time to you to discover you. She allows you freedom to wander.
Missing Kokee pushed me in to a time of discovery. I played with lots of different fibers, in a host of colours. After meeting Sparrow and Kestrel I knew I had the perfect muses to wander with away from homesickness and into home appreciation.
Trail from 6 Bits: Wander
Canyon from 6 Bits: Wander 
I swatched. Again and again I swatched.
No, not for the 6 designs in the collection. I swatched an entire skein of Kestrel...in 3 different colours. Then repeated the exercise with 2 skeins of Sparrow. I did so not with an end in mind, but with wandering in mind. When you wander thoughts pop in and out: Look at the rainbow! Can you believe that GREEN? Did I really have to make that bonehead decision? That rain feels so good. Can I knit a canyon?
Wandering lets you absorb where you are at the moment as you reflect on things that lie behind and ahead.
Wandering feeds creativity. Play with a bind off long enough and you learn how it doesn't just offer stability but beauty if you just try it one more time this way...
Wandering gets you off the hook. Point A to B is no longer the objective. You can head on rabbit trails to a waterfall instead of the overlook just as you can find a shrug works inside out even better than right way round.
These moments, days, weeks of my journey reworked themselves in to stitches, patterns and lessons which ultimately manifested in to a collection to share with you.
Because I want You to w a n d e r.
Get to know yourself by ambling about a bit with no defined purpose. Discover how brilliant your thoughts really are, how unique, how valued. Surprise yourself by "wasting" a few skeins of lovely yarn.
You are worth getting to know. You are worth investing in completely.
How I hope our wandering paths cross.
My best aloha is to you,
Mel
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